Suggest a fictional scenario for the Ridley Report to script

[Dave Ridley]

I'm starting to build fictional scenarios like Nightline used to.  Except of course that mine will suck compared to theirs. 

For once though I'm low on ideas.  Suggest yours here. 

Example "it's late in the year 2010 and activists have developed a 'liberty emergency' first responder unit.  Watch as this unit goes into action near Manchester...."

[KBCraig]

How about one themed as "....and anarchy broke out!"? Whether through deliberate action or simple indifference (the last elected official died, and no one cared to fill the slot), a local government has ceased to exist.

Deliver it in frantic "BREAKING NEWS!" style, fretting over anarchy and lawlessness, while all around you absolutely nothing is happening except people going about their everyday lives.

R: "Ma'am, can you tell us how the absence of a government to protect you has impacted your life?"
W: "Ummm, well, I don't really know. I haven't noticed any difference."
RD: "Do you think the federal government should step in and take over?"
W: "Oh gosh, I hope not! We're doing just fine. I don't think we need them!"
R: "And that's the scene here, where residents seem confused and lost. Back to you, Chet!"

[PattyLee loves dogs]

 

[Dave Ridley]

How about one themed as "....and anarchy broke out!"? Whether through deliberate action or simple indifference (the last elected official died, and no one cared to fill the slot), a local government has ceased to exist.

Deliver it in frantic "BREAKING NEWS!" style, fretting over anarchy and lawlessness, while all around you absolutely nothing is happening except people going about their everyday lives.

R: "Ma'am, can you tell us how the absence of a government to protect you has impacted your life?"
W: "Ummm, well, I don't really know. I haven't noticed any difference."
RD: "Do you think the federal government should step in and take over?"
W: "Oh gosh, I hope not! We're doing just fine. I don't think we need them!"
R: "And that's the scene here, where residents seem confused and lost. Back to you, Chet!"

i might try to do something along these lines but more plausible

[lildog]

How about one themed as "....and anarchy broke out!"? Whether through deliberate action or simple indifference (the last elected official died, and no one cared to fill the slot), a local government has ceased to exist.

Deliver it in frantic "BREAKING NEWS!" style, fretting over anarchy and lawlessness, while all around you absolutely nothing is happening except people going about their everyday lives.

R: "Ma'am, can you tell us how the absence of a government to protect you has impacted your life?"
W: "Ummm, well, I don't really know. I haven't noticed any difference."
RD: "Do you think the federal government should step in and take over?"
W: "Oh gosh, I hope not! We're doing just fine. I don't think we need them!"
R: "And that's the scene here, where residents seem confused and lost. Back to you, Chet!"

KB, we'd all like to think that without government the world would remain peaceful and people wouldn't see any difference (except for the fact they get to keep the other 50% of their paychecks) but time and time again we see that the default setting for society is violence.  When government breaks down we see riots and people acting like animals.

[sandm000]

BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS

Zombie infestation coming up from MA. Relating them to leeches or other bloodsucking parasites wouldn't be a bad analogy, either.

[error]

KB, we'd all like to think that without government the world would remain peaceful and people wouldn't see any difference (except for the fact they get to keep the other 50% of their paychecks) but time and time again we see that the default setting for society is violence.  When government breaks down we see riots and people acting like animals.

This doesn't happen every time a government breaks down. It happens when the government has done something specific against the people who are rioting, and happens to break down in the process of doing so, or as a result of doing so.

[KBCraig]

KB, we'd all like to think that without government the world would remain peaceful and people wouldn't see any difference (except for the fact they get to keep the other 50% of their paychecks) but time and time again we see that the default setting for society is violence.  When government breaks down we see riots and people acting like animals.

Your argument mirrors that of the average person who believe drugs should remain illegal: they wouldn't do drugs if they were legal, and none of their friends or family members would, and none of their personal or professional acquaintances would, but "ZOMG! If you legalize drugs, everyone would be doing them!"

The violence in the absence of government isn't due to the lack of government, it's almost universally caused by attempts to establish government. Somalia is the big boogie-man, so let's go there: the Somalis who don't care about government aren't attacking each other. The violence results from attempts to force government on people whether they want  it or not.

[dalebert]

And the chaos that inevitably seems to ensue when there is a sudden collapse of an authoritarian monopoly style of government is much like the extremely violent withdrawel symptoms of a person who suddenly goes off heroin. When someone is in massive physical pain, cramping, sweating, vomiting, crying continuously, the immediate conclusion might be that heroin was good for them.

[Tom Sawyer]

In the US, when there has been collapse of government, during times of disaster, people for the most part have functioned quite well together. Even in the case of New Orleans, a worst case kind of situation because of large numbers of dependent poor people... the cops and government were worse than a failure... people organized peacefully for the most part and dealt with the situation inspite of the government.

[dalebert]

people organized peacefully for the most part and dealt with the situation inspite of the government.

In fact, they would have faired far better had the government simply allowed it to happen. They would not allow many charitable efforts because they were not considered qualified. My mom's church tried to send over a bus load of volunteers and truck loads of donations but was not allowed. Instead they were forced to go through government disaster training in hopes of being able to help in the next disaster. I love that fucking FIMA was labeling people "unqualified" to help! That is the very definition of hypocrisy.

[thinkliberty]

A cool fictional scenario would be the release of every person in prison that is in there for a victim-less crime. All released on one day.

There are lots of different angles to cover on this. How empty the prisons are... kids meeting up with their parents on the outside, with no glass wall to separate them... interviewing Cops who are unable able to search cars anymore like they did to Andrew in VT... what to do with drug sniffing dogs like the one that false alerted on Andrew in VT... Gang members that no longer have a black market to profit from...